


Something to Cheer Me Up

by LadyGrayse



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-13
Updated: 2015-05-13
Packaged: 2018-03-30 10:32:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3933457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyGrayse/pseuds/LadyGrayse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Wrote this piece when I was depressed, in an effort to cheer myself up.  Ya'll can probably figure out who "Lucas" and "Ned" really are (especially those of you who follow me on Twitter or Facebook).  In keeping with my policy of not naming names, well, changed the original male names to those.  And partly because I'd probably die from embarassment if the real "Lucas" ever reads this and I find out. </p><p>Anyway, this is one for us not-twenty-something-anymore ladies.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Something to Cheer Me Up

Jane sat, huddled on the sofa, hugging her arms tightly to her body, trying to get warm.

“ _Why did I agree to come to this party today? It’s pouring outside!”_ she thought, as she shivered again. 

The forecast has called for a mostly cloudy sky but, like so many other early spring forecasts, this one neglected to include the possibility of rain. As soon as the taxi pulled away from the curb with her in the backseat, it had started to shower. And it continued to rain all the way to the party.

Since it was supposed to have a been a beautiful, warm spring evening, Jane had worn a halter-top sundress and her sandals. Now, she was also regretting her choice of attire.  _“Should’ve worn my jeans and sneakers. Might not be so blooming cold if I had. But, nooo....., just had to wear my sundress. AUGH!!”_ she mentally berated herself again.

She was still rubbing her arms when she caught sight of a snifter being held out to her.

“Here.” said this deep male voice, “I brought you some brandy. You look like you could use it.”

“Thank you, I certainly could.” she replied, taking the glass and looking up at the handsome man who’d brought it to her.

“May I?” he nodded at the empty space beside her on the sofa.

“Oh, of course!” she scooted further towards the end to give him plenty of room. “I’m a little...well, damp from the rain.”

He chuckled, a deep rumble in his chest. “I don’t mind. You do look a tad cold. Perhaps the brandy will warm you up.”

She nodded before taking a sip. “It’ll help, that’s for sure.”

They sat talking for a while when he noticed she was still shivering.

Running a hand down one of her arms, he remarked, “You’re freezing! Come with me and let’s see if I can find you something warm and dry to wear.”

She gave him a dry look. “Lucas, what will the rest of your guests say?”

He chuckled again, “Well, since the majority of them have already left and the few that remain are out on the covered terrace with Ned, probably nothing.”

It was then that she realized they were the only two still inside. Everyone else had moved outside now that the rain had stopped. Ned, one of Lucas’s housemates, was holding court around the firepit.

Lucas stood and held out his hand. “Come on! I know most of my stuff won’t fit you, but you should be able to wear a pair of my sweatpants anyway. And we can hang your dress up to dry in the bathroom.”

Heaving a sigh, knowing he wouldn’t let up until he got his way, she said simply, “Okay” before placing her hand in his and allowing him to pull her up. He led her up the stairs and down the hallway to his bedroom, closing the hallway door behind her.

“The bathroom’s in there, if you’d like to get out of that damp dress.” he told her, pointing to another door across the room as he slide open the closet door. “I’ll bring you some sweats.”

Jane went inside, pulling the door shut behind her. Reaching up, she untied the halter, letting the dress fall down across her ample bosom to pool around her ankles on the floor. She bent down and picked it up. Taking a look around, she finally just draped it across the shower rod.

Turning back around, she caught sight of herself in the mirror. Her short hair was curling from the humidity and her cheeks were pink-tinged from the brandy. She took a small step back, to assess the rest of her, standing there clad in only her bikinis. Still needed to lose some weight, she decided, although she figured having a flat stomach was a lost cause at her age. Her stretch marks were finally faded as had the scar from the c-section from giving birth to her only child twenty years ago.

Lost in contemplation of her tummy, she didn’t realize Lucas had entered the room until she heard his sharp intake of breath. Her immediate reaction? To look up into the mirror at him standing behind her as she brought her arms up to cover her breasts, a silent “O” of surprise on her face.

He came up behind her, sliding his arms around her and pulling her arms away by her wrists.

“Don’t.” came his voice, suddenly husky. “You’re beautiful, you know. Don’t hide, not from me.”

Jane blushed under his attention. “Lucas....” she breathed out his name. “What do you want?”

“What I’ve always wanted – you.” He leaned down now and nuzzled her hair.

She turned in his arms, looking up at him now. “Do you really mean that?” she asked quietly.

“Yes, I do.” he replied, gazing into her eyes.

“Why?” she was geniunely puzzled. “Why would you want me?”

She shook her head at him, a small sad smile on her face. “I weigh too much, I’ve got stretch marks and scars. And I’m not exactly twenty-something anymore.”

“You don’t see what I see.” Lucas told her, turning her back around to face the mirror.

“And just what do you see then?” She looked at his reflection in the mirror next to her own.

“Where you see too much weight, I see womanly curves to hold. Stretch marks and scars? Just mean you’ve lived life. And as for not being twenty-something anymore, with age comes wisdom....a knowing of what you like and don’t like, of not being afraid to tell your lover what you want. I don’t want a twenty-something girl -- I want the forty-something woman I see in the mirror. For she is far more attractive to me than all the twenty-somethings in the world.”

 

 

 


End file.
